The best DB-01 feature you're probably not using

video upload by Richard DeHove

"It's the one trick grammy award winning dentists don't want you to know - yet nine out of 10 cats agree! Seriously though there are functions on some machines that you just never get to unless you go digging. I'm a big fan of the DB-01 arp, especially jamming over the top of existing sequences. And recently I made a huge discovery. Well, actually, a tiny and insignificant realization, but it was that in the DB-01 arp section "PIA" stands for "piano" and "STP" stands for "step". For two years I was guessing at that acronym. A cosmic ray must have nudged a defective neuron aside. Yeah, obvious to you but not me. It turns out that "step" is a fantastic auto-slicing jamming function.

In the comments a while back someone said they enjoyed my "crusty" take on things. That means "a little bit grumpy". I like that. I am a little bit grumpy - about a lot of things. One thing I don't like is demos with too many machines. What tends to happen is that one (or more) machines get latched onto some never-ending-16-step-loopy-thing. Or maybe more than one. I don't like that (but of course I've done it lots of times). I get irritated these days when just one machine is endlessly repeating a 16-step pattern. Did any of the great composers just mindlessly copy bar after bar after bar of the same sludge just to fill out supporting instruments? Of course not. (Although I do like Phillip Glass)

OTOH modern machines usually present you with a 16-step grid. So what can you do?
Which brings us back to STP "step" mode on the DB-01 arp. A single, boring, 16-step pattern can be sliced up on the fly and made into endless variations. Possibly the best use of this is recording it as audio and slicing it up in the DAW. Or perhaps live performance. Whatever you do it's a good way to make 16-steps a lot more interesting. The quick version of this is to take an empty pattern, go into the randomizer and "randomize all" (the button on the far right). Now you have an unplayable mess. But with the "step" arp (latched) you can probably pick out selected parts and make something coherent. In any case it's entertaining. What do you think?

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/
My other channel "IntraCosmos" of long-play dark ambient textures:

/ @intracosmos"

Dual DB-01s in three flavors: Pattern, Keys and Drone

video upload by Richard DeHove

"DB-01s in slightly more exotic flavors. The setup is two DB-01s, one left, one right, going into the Strymon DIG delay in ping pong mode and/or into the DBA Rooms reverb. The on-screen display shows the separate channels. In the first "Patterns" section there's two 64-step patterns and I let it run as I tweak the knobs.
The second part is "Keys" and started out as me just mucking about after I thought I'd finished the video. But I stumbled on the old riff to the title track from my 2007 album "Worlds Beyond Number". Yes, I used to play such sweet and gentle stuff :( I thought it was interesting to show the DB-01 in a more thoughtful mood with the slow attack happening via the LFO. The third section "Drone" was inspired by the recent dronescape videos. With effects the DB-01 really excels at live dronescape performance. I think there's a lot of territory in there to explore.
If there's a point to this video I think it's to explore your machines. I've always thought that every synth has its obvious sound, the one that's easy to find, places that the knobs are willing you to go. Some machines don't have much beyond that, others can surprise.

0:00 Pattern flavor 1
0:27 Flavor 2
0:52 Flavor 3
1:17 Flavor 4
1:30 Flavor 5
1:52 No flavoring
2:13 Keys theme
3:53 Dronescape

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/
My other channel 'IntraCosmos' of long-play dark ambient textures: https://www.youtube.com/@intracosmos"

Using the DB-01 for live dronescapes

video upload by Richard DeHove

"A simple way to perform live ambient dronescapes with the DB-01. Here I just use the DB-01 with a Strymon Timeline on the pattern delay setting. Ideally I would have changed the Timeline pattern but the delay can't handle the transition and completely cuts out. For a more 'hands-free' performance you could switch the LFO to 'sample and hold' and give it a little filter modulation for interesting filter echoes. Or put a few more steps into the DB-01 pattern and switch playback mode to 'random'. If there's any interest I'll do a part 2 for more techniques. The on-screen display is showing the left & right channels of the DB-01.

0:00 Intro blather
1:08 Program the pattern
2:38 Scale fun
2:58 Random pitch
3:35 Initial hit
4:31 LFO filter mod
6:00 FM

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/
My other channel "IntraCosmos" of long-play dark ambient textures: https://www.youtube.com/@intracosmos"

IntraCosmos Apollo 11 (Dark space ambience)

Apollo 11: Day One video upload by IntraCosmos

"Apollo 11 mission day one from pre-launch checks 'round the horn' and 'go no-go' to countdown, launch and initial operations. Dark generative ambient background music as background, no looping music! Some sections include two channels of mission control audio in left and right channels.
Image is the official Apollo 11 Crew Portrait: From left to right are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Commander; Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module Pilot."

Apollo 11: Day 02 (Dark space ambience)

video upload by IntraCosmos

"Day two of the Apollo 11 mission. First half of the video the crew is asleep so there are only periodic mission control updates. The crew wake up in the second half and there is almost constant radio chatter as they run through various checks and activities.
Background audio is original generative ambience and uses absolutely no loops. The mood here is slightly eerie deep space emptiness which especially fits the first half as the crew is sleeping.
Main image shows the Earth as photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft just after the translunar injection burn."

Europa: Deep Ocean World (12 hours)

video upload by IntraCosmos

"Twelve hours of dark ambient sleep and relaxation audio featuring constant low and deep ocean rumbles, waves and randomly evolving high but subtle melody. The entire piece is synthesised and generative. There are absolutely no loops or repeats!
An excellent piece for blocking low rumbles and thumps in your environment.
Image is an artist concept of the ocean system of Jupiter's moon Europa. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech"